Packaging Futures
Developing healthy and sustainable circular containers for packaged foods
Description
Plastic packaging contributes significantly to environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and its substantial impacts are projected to increase in the future. Currently, the EU’s waste streams and recycling processes are insufficient to recycle the large amounts produced by its citizens, leading to waste exports to countries with lower sustainability standards.
I aimed to develop a food packaging solution that is more sustainable while still providing transport efficiency, durability, functionality, and consumer convenience. The process included literature research, expert interviews, market analysis, and numerous experiments.
The design involved an experimental approach that led to a family of stainless steel containers suitable for mass production and integration into existing return systems in Germany.
The proposed packaging solutions balance the findings’ key criteria for sustainability, including reusability, efficiency, stability, and inertness.